This is a co-written story. The chapters will alternate with who writes them between Forge and I. I am Gred (as you could probably tell from the past sentence).
Greds note- I don't own anything except the story line…sob.
"No way! I can't believe you like her, Neville! That's so…cute!" Ginny smiled. She eyed the blond Ravenclaw who sat talking to her smart friends at her own table. Neville flushed and looked down at his food.
"Yeah, well…" he stuttered. He wrung his hands. "Just don't tell her…please?"
"Don't worry, Neville. I won't. Your secret is safe with me!" Ginny pretended to lock her mouth and throw the key away. "Dang! The key didn't hit any Slytherins!" Neville and Ginny laughed as Harry, Ron, and Hermione came and sat down.
"Hey, honey. What's up?" Neville's eyes flashed up as Ginny prepared to answer Harry's question.
"Oh, nothing. Just the usual…trying to hit Slytherins with fake keys." Ginny shrugged. Everyone eyed her suspiciously but she took a spoonful of her pudding and swallowed.
"I heard Professor McGonnagal wanted to tell the 7th years and the students who came back for a better 7th year something after dinner." Hermione said matter-of-factly. As if on cue, McGonnagal stood up and tried to get the students attention.
After everyone had quieted, she told the students who were 6th year and under to return to their dorms. Once there were only 7th years left, she shouted "The Ministry of Magic has made a new test for your N.E.W.T.S. mandatory." Hermione looked like she was going to burst from excitement.
A Ravenclaw shouted "What's that?"
"The test is a camping trip. It will test your skills without using magic because sometimes in life you will be surrounded by muggles and you will not be able to use magic." Several students groaned. Not using magic? That, right there, was crazy talk.
"You will have one day to pack before we take you to an undisclosed location. You will not have your wands and you will be given all the time you need to make it out of this place. I can only tell you that this place will be in the woods. You will be sent out in teams of six. I have those teams written down on this list. Please come and check now." Professor McGonnagal held up a list and the students rushed to see who they were put with.
Some students cheered and others groaned. Ginny peeked at the list to find that she was put with Harry, Hermione, Luna, Ron, and Neville. It was the perfect opportunity to get Neville and Luna together!
They hurried to their dorms to pack and later met up in the room of requirements to look at what everyone had packed. You could tell who was raised by a wizarding family and who wasn't.
Neville, Ron, and Ginny had packed the same things. Both had a pillow and extra clothes. That was it. Nothing to help them survive.
Harry had a bigger bag. He pulled out a small tent, marshmallows, roasting sticks, and a pillow.
Hermoine, being the smart one, pulled out a flashlight, a can of beans, a pillow, and blankets.
"What are those?" Ron asked pointing at the roasting sticks.
"You put marshmallows," Harry held up the bag of marshmallows "on them and you roast the marshmallows. They taste delicious."
"Okay…so we can find things easier why don't we put the same things into the same bags?" Hermione asked. She obviously likes to be organized. They put the blankets in one bag, pillows in another bag, food in another and the flashlight, tent, and roasting sticks in another bag. The last two bags that were unused were put into the food bag. "That's better. I'm going to get the last bit of comfortable sleep I can."
The next morning all seventh years were standing in the Great Hall griping about the new N.E.W.T. test.
"Okay, attention!" Professor McGonnagal called. "Please lock arms with the rest of your group and a ministry personal will take you to different spots in a large forest. The sooner you get outside the forest the better score you receive. You will be given one flare to use in case of emergency. You will be given one match to light the flare. Good luck" Professor McGonnagal shooed the students toward ministry workers.
Ginny's group latched arms and Hermione latched arms with a short, bald headed man and soon Ginny felt that uncomfortable feeling. She closed her eyes and waited for it to stop. When it did she opened her eyes and looked around.
She was surrounded by green. Green covered the trees and every plant was green. It was almost too green…an alien planet. Running close by was a river that snaked around them. The ministry worker handed Hermione the flare and match and disasparated.
"Well…let's get moving. Looks like we'll have to go that way to go north." Ron said pointing the opposite way of the river.
"Wow, Ron…" Ginny's mouth was wide open at Ron's stupidity.
"Ron…we have to go that way to go north." Harry pointed to the river.
"How do you know that?" Ron asked defensively.
"Well, we left Hogwarts at about eight. So the sun is rising from the east. So that ways north." Harry told Ron.
"Oh."
"Poor Ronnie-kins…wrong again." Ginny made a sad face and took of sprinting. Ron chased her until finally she took shelter behind Harry and stuck out her tongue.
"Okay, let's get moving so we can actually get somewhere today." Hermione commanded. "Looks like we'll have to cross that river. How about the three guys take a bag and one of us girls."
"I'll take a bag, Hermione." Ginny volunteered. The boys grabbed a bag and so did Ginny and then started moving toward the river.
"How are we going to do this?" Ron asked. He was eyeing the river dubiously. He started trotting along the bank and then came back. "There's no bridge!"
"Of course not Ron! We're in the middle of a deserted forest!" Ginny rolled her eyes and also started to run the bank. "Hey! There's a fallen tree down here! It looks pretty sturdy so I think we can cross on it." Ginny called.
The group moved together down the bank until Ginny came in sight. She was already half way across the tree trunk. Hermione shrieked.
"GINNY! Be careful!" Hermione started panicking. She grabbed Ron's arm and dug her fingernails into his arm. Ron cringed in pain but let her keep holding his arm. Ginny looked back at Hermione.
"Calm down. I'm fine!" Ginny jumped off the trunk and curtsied. Harry smiled proudly.
"I'll go next." Harry called. He hopped onto the trunk and took long strides and in a couple seconds he was at the other side. "Hermoine! You next." Hermione crawled onto the fallen tree trunk and began to slowly make her way across. After a minute or so she was standing next to Ginny safely on ground.
"Luna, why don't you go next?" Neville asked on the other bank. Luna turned to him and gave a little smile. She hopped onto the log. The group watched in amazement as she made her way across the tree trunk. It looked more like dancing than anything else, though.
Once she was safely on the ground again she waved her hand at Neville signaling it was his turn.
"Oh! Come on, people!" Ron shouted when Neville was on the log making his was across. "Leave me for last?" Neville was now stepping off the log and turning to watch Ron.
Ron took in a deep breath and lifted his foot onto the tree trunk. He took a few steps when he heard a horrible cracking sound. Hermione screamed again.
"Hermione! Stop doing that! When I need a hearing aide I'm sending you the bill!" Ginny shouted.
Ron was now panicking, too. He was slipping as he tried to make it across in time. The trunk cracked again and it sent his arms flailing to keep his balance. The bag he was holding in his hand slipped and went flying into the icy river water.
"RON!" Ginny screamed. She wasn't scared for her brother she was scared that she was going to freeze at night. She and Harry went running after the bag. After a couple minutes of following it, it got caught in some weeds at the side of the bank. Harry grabbed it and looked at Ginny.
"Well, there goes our protection from the freezing cold temperatures!" Harry laughed. Ginny laughed along with him until Harry said "We better get going back. They're probably waiting for us." They headed back up the bank and found the rest of the group surrounding Ron.
"I'm fine! Really, Hermoine." Ron put on the tough boy act. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Let's get moving!" Harry called. They turned at began heading north until dark.
"Let's put up camp here." Neville yawned. Harry took out the tent and put it up as the others watched in awe.
"What?" Harry asked becoming self-conscious.
Ginny turned to Hermione. "Ha-ha! My boyfriend can walk across a tree trunk without slipping and can pitch a tent! My boyfriends better than yours!" Ginny teased. She had on a playful smile. Harry beamed proudly. Ron gave Ginny a death glare.
"Let's go to bed, guys." Neville yawned again. He walked in and stood up. "OW!"
"What's wrong, Neville?" Luna asked curiously.
"It's not like a normal tent. It's…small."
"No magic, remember?" Luna told him.
The six of them surprisingly fit into tiny tent if they curled up. Around midnight they heard Hermione yell "GINNY! GET YOUR FOOT OUT OF MY FACE!" but otherwise it was a quiet night. That is, until morning.
"Ron! Get off me." Hermione shrieked. Does she have to shriek ALL the time? Ginny wondered silently.
"Neville! Move your legs off my back!" Harry yelled.
"Ron! Your arm is strangling me!" Ginny shouted.
"Harry! Move. Your. Head!" Hermione shoved Harry's head off her feet.
"Hermione! Your fingers are up my nose!" Ron screamed.
"Luna! Where's Luna?" Neville asked. He sprang up and crawled out of the tent. "Found her!"
Luna was sprawled out next to the tent and she was sleeping peacefully. Neville crossed the ground that was between him and Luna and gently shook her awake.
"What are you doing out here?" Neville asked curiously. He sat down cross legged next to the blond.
"It was a lot quieter out here and there was way more room." Luna answered innocently. Neville nodded and went back into the tent.
Greds note- Okay, next chapter is going to be by Forge.
Some of you twilightaholics (like me) might have noticed the line
From Twilight. I don't own that either…sigh. I wish I could own
Emmett, though…